Jesus is not the reason for the season!

 

As a child growing up in Africa, I loved Christmas. From the new clothes, to nyama choma from the freshly slaughtered goats and playing with my cousins in the sun all day. Importantly I loved that it was Jesus’s birthday. My Lord and saviour was the reason for the season. Normally, I was not allowed to stay up late but during Christmas I would; reading scriptures on the birth of Jesus while thankful for the sacrifice he made. I loved singing Christmas carols and hymns, watching all those cartoons and movies about baby Jesus. I had no doubt Jesus was born on Christmas day. It was my favourite time of the year. 

"Its the most wonderful time of the year"

Even though I was a child, grownups kept reminding me that the world hated Christ and they wanted to take the word Christ from Christmas. Christmas was in danger.

“He’s the reason for the season”

The common example was cited for America and Europe where they were trying to change Christmas to xmas or happy holidays. It made me sad, angry and filled me with a feeling of dread. I was reminded of how Christians had been killed and persecuted throughout the ages. These only made me love Jesus more and increased my devotion to Christianity. The true meaning of Christmas was love, God’s unending love for us that He gave us His only begotten son. They could try but they could not win against LOVE.

However, as I grew up I realised everything was not as black or white as I had been made to believe. It seems the Christian establishment had carefully selected the information I needed to know about Christmas. The information they chose to feed me was aimed at increasing my fanaticism towards my faith not promote critical thinking. As I grew up, I realised Jesus was not born on Christmas day, its meaning was evolving over time from pagan to Christian and presently it meant different things to different people. Further, different Christian groups promoted different views on Christmas, some abstained from it while others fully embraced it. Christmas trees, Santa and gift giving had pagan origins and were heavily commercialised. If that was the case, the world was not chipping away at Christianity, it was just Christmas evolving. I was disappointed. I felt brainwashed and deceived. Imagine being made to believe someone so important “the son of God” was born on a certain day then finding out He was not as an adult. Surely, Christians know better than to treat the foundation of their faith like a Santa Claus fantasy. Though it is easy to get over Santa, how do you reconcile facts from fiction in Christianity? Also, Christianity should not be defined by a single day, say society managed to remove Jesus from Christmas would it really matter to Christians as long as he remains in your heart. The call to all Christians is to win people through love not politics, I doubt God or Christ would mourn over the loss of  Christmas.

I firmly believe that the Christian establishment generally choose information that is beneficial to their cause to brainwash children and adults alike. I felt like a tool for some leaders purportedly “Christians” to advance their causes and hold on to power. They took me at most my impressionable fed me lies to fit their beliefs. When I watch leaders like Donald Trump purport that Christmas and Christianity are under attack, I feel distressed because there are so many impressionable people who will believe him yet it’s his way of clinging to power. My ignorance and my faith are just but political tools. 

The greatest enemy to Christian faith is Christians, the world is not chipping at Christianity, Christians are chipping at Christianity through misinformation. This extends to other aspects of Christianity like Easter and Bible stories who authenticity cannot be proved. All children growing up Christians have a right to full information about Christianity. How can I decide about eternity from beliefs I understand very little about? If Christianity is to survive it must look within itself, however, I doubt it will.

Now I believe everyone has a right to celebrate Christmas as they wish! The world does not hate Christians or Christmas, its the Christian establishment exploiting the weakest in its rank.